Wild horses

A tour of the Ferrari factory at Maranello is the realisation of a car enthusiast's dream, says Toby Hagon.

25 August 2002Toby Hagon

The excuses flooding from the wide-eyed boy trying to talk his way into the tour of this most revered car factory would have made a politician proud.

After an unconvincing spiel about how he'd recently turned 17, the eager young American appeared to have been defeated by the age restriction placed on Ferrari's exclusive factory tours. He was, after all, perhaps 13 ? at best ? and visitors to this sacred site must be at least 16.

Suddenly the boy's father appears, well-dressed and articulate, calmly producing some sort of identification for his son ? a little suspect, maybe ? to placate the well-meaning guide and secure entry for his son.

The smile on the boy's face says it all. Right up there with being a fireman or a movie star, going on a tour of the Ferrari factory ? where some of the world's most gorgeous machines are painstakingly created ? is a dream come true for every car-loving kid.

Just like its cars, though, the Ferrari production facility does things a bit differently. Where you might expect all the hype and fanfare that surrounds the brand to be in full swing, Ferrari's unpretentious factory is in country Italy, about an hour from Bologna in a small town called Maranello, honoured by a badge on some of the cars; the least such a famous marque can do for its home crowd.

The latest hero car, the 360 Modena, bears the name of the city 20-odd minutes up the road that is home to Ferrari's recently acquired sister brand, Maserati (which conducts similar tours).

The area might not be a five-star destination in tourist guides, but for a petrolhead a visit to this part of Italy could only be described as blissful. Just up the road you'll also find the homes of Ducati and Lamborghini.

Not that you'd know it, however. Drive through Maranello and the only clue that some of the world's most sought-after machinery is built here are the red and yellow flags hanging from dilapidated windows along the way to the impressive Galleria Ferrari museum, which traces the history of the marque. Service stations sell Ferrari models and titbits, confirming you're in the right place. Chances are you'll also spot a thinly disguised development car cruising back to home base.

Home base takes some finding, because there are no bold signs pointing the way. Perhaps the assumption is that most people will follow their nose. Mention Ferrari, though, and most locals ? in Italian or broken English ? will point you down the modest streets to the town's star attraction.

There you'll spot some large black gates and a huge yellow "Ferrari" sign. If there wasn't such a history attached, there would be little to get excited about.

Across the road is the famous Ristorante Cavallino, which has fed such F1 champs as Michael Schumacher, not to mention company executives and many Ferrari devotees. For most, this famous eatery is as close as they'll get to Ferrari's inner sanctum.

Each day three or four groups of 10 people are allowed into the factory, but Ferrari tours are not open to the public. Ferrari owners, of course, have an open ticket, as do suppliers, family and friends. But don't expect to roll up to the factory, hand over some euros and head for the door.

The Ferrari Store opposite the entrance does, however, have all manner of expensive merchandise for fans looking for a souvenir.

For those lucky enough to find themselves on the grid, the start of the tour is reminiscent of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, as the big red doors swing open. But instead of lollies, you'll get a glimpse of how metal and plastic are melded to produce such seductive machinery.

What goes on behind the doors of Ferrari is much the same as what happens at Proton in Malaysia, Ford in Detroit or Toyota in Australia. A stark-looking body starts at one end of a long line and emerges from the other looking more or less complete, having passed many stations and had bits and pieces meticulously added.

The difference with Ferrari, though, is that everything happens much sloooower. Mainstream car makers spit out cars with the regularity of a photocopier, but the attention to detail here is more akin to the craftsmanship that's gone into a Michelangelo masterpiece.

This is most likely the slowest a Ferrari will ever travel in its life. The end result is just 16 or 17 cars each day. Still, there is something pretty special about seeing a room full of Ferraris.

There are two production lines running side by side ? one for the V8 models (which builds the mid-engined 360) and one for the more expensive V12s (which include the 456 GT and 575M).

The company is also gearing up a third vehicle line ? when Drive visited, this was hidden behind barriers ? which is reserved for the million-dollar-plus FX supercar. Recently christened the Enzo (in memory of the brand's founder, Enzo Ferrari, who died in 1988), the V12-powered rocket is slated for production next year.

For now, though, V8 360s account for most Ferrari sales, so cars move quicker than they do on the shared 456 and 575 line. At each of the 32 stations, the car is worked on for 45 minutes before being shuffled along a few metres for the next dose of tender loving attention. Robots are few; more often there's the more personal touch of someone carefully administering some of the finest in Italian craftsmanship.

There is a separate room for leather crafting, where 35 people carefully stitch everything from seats and dashboards to steering wheels and roll cages. With meticulous selection of only the best cuts, it takes the hides of five cows to fit out a 12-cylinder car, while the two-seater 360s account for just three hides.

The leather, too, originates from different parts of the globe, and it's not Italy. Twelve-cylinder cars use the traditional Connolly leather from Britain, but the outbreak of mad cow disease there prompted Ferrari to source leather for the V8 cars from Germany.

There are 13 standard leather colours, along with a range of stitching styles, sizes and hues. As with the exterior, it is also possible to nominate specific custom colours, in line with the Exclusivity program. However, that classic Ferrari red ? predictably the most popular of all Ferrari hues ? and the stand-out yellow are non-negotiable. If you want red or yellow, Ferrari has already decided on the shade.

Of course, the engine is the heart of any Italian sports car, and Ferrari engines are some of the most exclusive in the world. Ferrari builds and tests some 20 engines daily. The surplus is to allow for faults or underperformers.

Every engine spends three hours on a test bed (as well as three hours of set-up and three hours of dismantling) where it is put through a sequence of trials ? including flat out ? to ensure it lives up to the claims. If it is one of the few that doesn't, it is either scrapped or sent back to be re-tweaked, to ensure the tradition continues.

Not all Ferrari-made engines are destined for a Ferrari, though. The company has recently begun building V8 engines for Maserati, which gets a unique tune and performs its own tests at its more modest factory in Modena to verify the build.

There's also a hint of competitiveness between the two brands, according to our guide. Ferrari claims the workers who build Ferrari engines are different from those building the Maserati ones. The idea is that each doesn't know the full details of what the other is doing.

All up, it takes 13 days to create a 360, while a 456 or 575 takes closer to two months, having endured a more elaborate production process and longer, more frequent stops along the way.

Throughout that time, each car carries with it a detailed list designating the colours and options the owner has chosen as well as where the car will eventually be shipped. About half of all Ferraris go to the US, while 10 percent stay in Italy. In Australia last year just 82 Ferraris were sold, which is less than 2 percent of the 4289 delivered worldwide.

Perhaps not surprisingly, workers literally queue up for the opportunity to build Ferraris. But it's not for the money, because workers here are typically paid less than their counterparts at other factories. Instead, they do it for the prestige attached to the marque. It looks good on the curriculum vitae, and from there it's easier to get a better-paid job elsewhere.

But Ferrari's presence at Maranello goes much further than the production of road vehicles. The seemingly unbeatable Formula One team is based there, too, and demands a fair amount of Ferrari's attention ? and budget.

For many, a glimpse at the famous Fiorano test track could bring just rewards for a stopover. On any day you could see a development car speed by or, as Drive did, score an exclusive glimpse of an F1 car being tested.

Standing in a cul-de-sac with a dozen other fans, watching the world's fastest race car being put through its paces, is one heck of a day to remember.

Fast facts

1. The most popular Ferrari colour is red. 2. There are 14 standard exterior colours and 13 interior colours, or you can choose your own. But the Ferrari red cannot be changed. 3. Last year Ferrari built 4289 cars, of which 82 were sold in Australia. 4. America is the biggest single market for Ferrari. 5. Ferrari builds between 16 and 17 cars a day. 6. The company builds 20 engines a day, but, after testing, some are rejected. 7. Ferrari factory employees are generally paid less than their rivals but do it for the prestige and future career enhancement. 8. It takes the skins of five cows to fit out the interior of a V12 model, and three cows for the smaller V8s. 9. There are three production lines: one for V12 models, one for V8 models and one for the upcoming Enzo. 10. Ferrari factory tours are conducted daily but are invitation-only to owners and suppliers.

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The size of your tyre is located on the sidewall of your tyre.It will be similar to the sample below.